iCON Program Manager

The vision of the UBC Department of Emergency Medicine is to be a provincially integrated Department committed to clinical, academic, and health care delivery leadership, founded in the creation and exchange of knowledge to improve emergency care.

Our faculty members across the province have an impressive record of research and discovery related to prevention of emergencies, improving clinical care, and system improvements.

Our Royal College residency training program, distributed across four program sites, is the largest in the country providing high-quality emergency training.

The Department of Emergency Medicine has also played a leadership role in the development and implementation of the BC Emergency Medicine Network which integrates and translates knowledge and experiences to support emergency practitioners across the province.

Within the Department of Emergency Medicine in UBC Faculty of Medicine, Digital Emergency Medicine’s academic mission is to transform emergency medicine through technology enabled, health professional & patient oriented strategies for excellence in acute & community care. iCON is a flagship program Digital Emergency Medicine (DigEM) that works to advance this mission and improve health equity in partnership with multicultural and Indigenous communities and healthcare partners. iCON is a multi-portfolio, community engagement program that delivers health outreach and patient education programming to support multicultural patients and families in the prevention and management of chronic diseases. Within the iCON portfolio are several research, health improvement, and patient engagement projects focused on advancing culturally safe care for multicultural and Indigenous communities, and improving digital health literacy and patient access to virtual care.

This position reports to the Associate Lead, Research. The incumbent will supervise the work of junior staff and/or students. Depending on the scope of the iCON Program activities, the incumbent may have from 6 -12 junior staff including students working under them. This position is also a member of the senior leadership team that provides strategic management of DigEM and operational management and/or administration of DigEM projects and initiatives, and participates in overall office visioning and leadership activities. The incumbent will be required to establish working relationships with UBC, community stakeholders and organizations, funding bodies, clinicians, researchers, health authority collaborators, the BC Ministry of Health, as well as with principal and co-investigators (internal and external to UBC) and liaise with other staff within the Department.

• Provides strategic, operational, and functional oversight of the iCON portfolio of projects including participating in project and research design, developing work plans, setting priorities, timelines and goals for successful completion of the Program and funder deliverables.
• Leads, coordinates, and manages multiple community engagement and research projects with conflicting timelines, priorities and deadlines.
• Establishes knowledge base in public engagement across iCON suite of projects and suggests efficiencies, synergies, improvements and innovations within and between projects and facilitates strategic collaborations between the iCON portfolio and other DigEM initiatives.
• Serves as the designated point-of-contact for service contractors, funders, community partners, key stakeholders and collaborators.
• Procures and negotiates service contracts and invoices.
• Provides authoritative information to project leads and junior staff on all aspects of projects and provides direction in matters related to research and implementation to ensure compliance with university, faculty and external funding agency policies, protocols and practices.
• Develops, implements, and maintains systems for organizing and maintaining administrative, financial, and procedural records across the program and streamlines processes as appropriate.
• Coordinates and collaborates on grant applications to government, foundation, and other health organizations. Explores and pursues opportunities for grant funding and other avenues of program and research project funding.
• Prepares budgets and forecasts resource requirements for projects and overall portfolio including distribution of personnel across program priorities and within project duties.
• Monitors and manages project and portfolio budgets, oversees and approves expenditures to ensure the successful completion of deliverables on time and within budget.
• Liaises with Principal Investigators, Co-investigators as well as project committees and stakeholders. Acts as delegate for Principal investigator as required.
• Oversees and manages communications for the program and associated projects.
• Assumes responsibility for overall reporting to funders and program sponsors including preparation and submission of regular reports and associated invoicing, and ensures that all contractual obligations and standards are met.
• Chairs and/or participates in meetings with internal and external project teams and updates Principal Investigator, Co-investigators and collaborators on progress.
• Recruits, allocates, and distributes personnel across program duties.
• Supervising staff, such as research assistants, and other operational personnel.
• Prepares research reports and other public documents related to projects for government and nongovernmental agencies involved in decision making and health policy in areas related to the portfolio.
• Liaises with principal/co-investigators as well as Steering and Advisory Committees.
• Schedules and attends meetings with Principal, Co-investigators and Steering/Advisory Committees to aid in program direction.
• Prepares presentations, and implements knowledge sharing strategies (publications, conference presentations, etc.) to disseminate outcomes of projects and results of associated research.
• Identifies staffing needs, prepares job descriptions, participate in interviews, and makes hiring recommendations.
• Plans strategic goals and direction for the office; strategizes activities, human resources, and priorities; and develops strategic research plans.
• Provides research direction, guidance and on the job training for research assistants, students, volunteers, and other personnel, as required.
• Responsible for participating in and overseeing program delivery, as required.
• Participates in program related advisory committees and external working groups, as required.
• Performs other duties as required.

Consequence of Error/Judgement

The iCON Program Manager is responsible for decisions that can impact the viability of the program.

They will need to make professional decisions and recommendations on all aspects of work.

They will need to exercise professional judgment and initiative in the overall coordination and management of community engagement and research projects.

They are accountable for the effective execution of all community education and research activities, and is expected to make sound decisions and recommendations on all aspects of work.

Errors in judgment will impact funding, reputation, and research quality which would imperil the financial viability of the self-funded research operation.

The incumbent will work independently and will need to exercise judgment in the development of partnerships, budgets, staffing, portfolio development and management.

The reputation of the research work done in the iCON Program is critical to DigEM obtaining future funding.

As such the impact of decisions is considerable.

Works independently with considerable latitude, with general direction from the Associate Lead and PI.

The position receives minimal supervision, but works collaboratively.

Technical guidance is available from the Assistant Director Research.

The incumbent will supervise staff including project coordinators, research analysts, research assistants, students and other associates such as volunteers that assist with executing iCON Program deliverables.

For research work, a post-graduate degree or equivalent professional designation with a minimum of four years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Otherwise, an undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline is required with a minimum of six years of related experience, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

• Willingness to respect diverse perspectives, including perspectives in conflict with one’s own
• Demonstrates a commitment to enhancing one’s own awareness, knowledge, and skills related to equity, diversity, and inclusion

Education: Master’s degree preferred.

Experience in executing research and community health engagement projects.

with, and knowledge of, multicultural community engagement on health and wellness management.

with both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies.

in a medical education setting an asset.

with research coordination, research administration, communications, project management, and budget monitoring.

Supervisory experience is preferred.

Computer experience is required.

• Ability to effectively manage multiple tasks and priorities.
• Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing.
• Ability to work effectively independently and in a team environment.
• Ability to initiate and conduct research projects.
• Ability to conduct job-related interviews to obtain accurate, complete, and relevant information.
• Ability to prioritize and work effectively under pressure to meet deadlines.
• Ability to work with inter-institutional and/or inter-disciplinary teams.